North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un rolled out the red carpet in Pyongyang this week to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), hosting foreign dignitaries, dazzling crowds with mass performances, and preparing what is expected to be a grand military parade showcasing the country’s latest weaponry.
State media released images of thousands of performers filling the capital’s May Day Stadium on Thursday in a sea of coordinated color, dance, and song.
The spectacle featured traditional music, martial arts displays, and fireworks, as Kim presided over the event alongside senior officials from China, Russia, and Vietnam.
Among those seated in the front row were Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam, underscoring Pyongyang’s deepening ties with its few remaining allies.
In a fiery address broadcast by state media, Kim declared that North Korea had “stood firm against growing nuclear war threats by U.S. imperialists” and vowed to continue strengthening both the nation’s nuclear capabilities and economic resilience.
“Today, our people are standing before the world as powerful beings who know no insurmountable difficulties and no unachievable cause,” Kim said, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The anniversary comes just a month after Kim’s high-profile visit to Beijing, where he stood alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during China’s military parade.
The trip marked a major diplomatic win for Kim, bolstering his alliance with Beijing and Moscow at a time of mounting Western sanctions.
North Korea and Russia have grown increasingly close since signing a mutual defense pact last year, with Pyongyang supplying Moscow with troops, missiles, and munitions to aid its war in Ukraine, according to Western intelligence assessments.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it has detected the movement of vehicles and military equipment in Pyongyang, signaling preparations for a major parade expected Friday night.
Analysts say the event could feature North Korea’s most advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), including the Hwasong-20 and the Hwasong-11 Ma hypersonic glide vehicle.
Last month, Kim personally oversaw a test of a new high-thrust solid-fuel rocket engine designed for the Hwasong-20, a next-generation ICBM capable of being launched with little warning.
Solid-fueled missiles are more stable and mobile than traditional liquid-fueled systems, making them harder to detect and intercept.
Mass parades and carefully choreographed propaganda events have long been a hallmark of North Korea’s political culture, celebrating the Kim family’s grip on power through three generations.
Founded in 1945, the Workers’ Party of Korea remains the sole ruling party, blending elements of Marxism with the dynastic ideology of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and now Kim Jong Un.
As the country marks eight decades under the WPK’s rule, the message from Pyongyang is unmistakable: North Korea intends to project unity, defiance, and military strength, both to its allies and to its adversaries.
Source: CNN
Written By Rodney Mbua
